A Sprig of Hope
by Furor Scribendi
Summary: Can Mahoro be saved? Tou Ryuga explores the possibilities with a Saint professor before it is too late. NOTE: extensive author comments precede the story


The Author Speaks

Potentially, the background for this fanfic could be longer than the offering itself (and possibly more interesting), but it helps to know where this is coming from so you can understand why I have done what I did.

This is kind of like those commentaries that you can play along with that DVD you just bought. If you never avail yourself of those features, the story begins on page four. For the rest of you….

I first bumped into Mahoromatic about a year ago on YouTube, with the classic segment from Season Two, Episode Three, when the Pi Deal Alpha machine went berserk and gave everyone huge breasts (except for Mahoro). It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. I had no idea what the show was about initially. To my mind, it was just a young girl wanting to be 'more of a woman' and failing miserably.

Some time later, a Crown Remaindered Books store opened up in my town and they had a wealth of unwanted manga there, including books 1, 3 and 4 for "Mahoromatic". This later led me to get the DVD series of both seasons. I have since managed to get books 2, 5, 6, 7 but I am still looking for number 8 (well, I have seen it, but it's not worth $20.)

I never really agreed with the "Blade Runner" concept of limited duration for these androids, but I knew that was the driving force behind the urgency of the series. The ticking clock added poignancy to these light and frothy tales or even the intense combat sequences; that time is precious and the end can come at any given moment.

And when we are confronted with the unknown time factor remaining, after the hideous beating she takes at the hands of Professor Metherius, plus the admission from Professor Hokaze that her time is even more truncated (as expressed in the manga), the need is even greater, as no one expected Mahoro to be so challenged over her last year.

(I would say more, but many of these themes are going to be touched on in the story.)

For those who have seen the amine series, this little sequence should take place during Season Two, Episode 13. Mahoro and Suguru are watching the sun set on their quiet private beach on the Yucatan Peninsula. She has just discovered what "something more beautiful" means, but has not yet met Number 227 (or Ferdelance) prior to her final battle. This scene runs concurrent to the events as well.

For those who are pursuing the manga angle, it's somewhere in book 8, but, again, not having the book, I could not tell you that it would occur between chapters three and four.

I have read many of the manga versions and I am struck with the inconsistencies, especially with the names. I have seen Ms. Shijiko's name misspelled, I have seen Oe Chizuko with alternate spellings and I am completely confused about Number 227 (the anime has him as Feldrance; some have him as Federdance and even Pederlance but I have also seen Ferdelance, which makes the most sense of any of his names). Is it Dr. Canan or Dr. Cyanan or Dr. Kanan or Dr. Kainan? Ieven saw Dr. Cannon!

Professor Metherius or Professor Methius? Ryuga or Ryuuga? Does the Tou go first or come last? Matthew or Masshu? I assume a lot of this is probably an attempt to give a better pronunciation of the names, but this inconsistency, even from the source material, is just so dang irritating. How can I do a good fanfic if I am sabotaged from the onset?

Does Ryuga teach a cooking class or a physics class? In the ghost hunting episode, is the spirit that haunts the pool male or female? When Mahoro gets captured by Professor Metherius, is this done in an abandoned research facility (anime) or a church (manga)?

Did you know that Minawa was a plant from the get-go? You would have, should you read the manga. The anime has things not mentioned in the manga; the manga has episodes never even touched on in the anime (wouldn't you have loved to have seen Mahoro take on the Ninja Panty Thief? The comic potential and fan service is off the charts!)

Are you aware as to why Minawa is so clumsy? When you learn of her whole sad, tragic past, does this change your opinion of her? Does she stop being this rather vague, slight individual and become an object of much sorrow? Did you know that they rescue another one like 370 (she is called 779 and is also a plant) and she becomes Mahoro's other "sister"? (She would be called Nanami.)

I bring this up, as I do not want to get into a mindless minutiae fight over spellings or other aspects or someone thinking I am a slop artist as I can't get things right.

In one manga version I read (from book three), when Mahoro and Ryuga fight and she decides to use Shining of the Dark or Shining Darkness (again, more confusion over what it is called), Ryuga sheathes his sword because, when he learns of Mahoro's great sacrifice, he states, "I have been defeated." A most noble and humbling gesture from this android, driven into a frenzy to destroy Mahoro.

Another version I read has him saying, "I realized I'd rather have sex with you than kill you." Perhaps Mahoro was right. Dirty thoughts are bad.

With my inability to secure Book 8 at the present time, I am at a complete and total loss as to how the manga handles things for the end game. When Suguru learns of what really REALLY happened with Mahoro and his father (this is covered in book seven), once the Professor is disposed of (in a rather graphic sequence), he pledges himself to work for Vesper and rid the world of the Seekers or Management or whomsoever they are or what they call themselves.

Oh, and for those who have seen the anime and wonder where Suguru got that sword he uses in Season Two, Episode Fourteen, Ferdelance pulled it on him in the church sequence, to force Mahoro into a repeat of the Commander Misato incident.

Plus, you see a side of Mahoro that the lighter anime never touches on. During the climatic church battle sequence, she is severely damaged to the point where she leaks (well, she has no battle armor, so she has to rely on her stealth and agility).

Whether it is blood or some other kind of fluid, she leaves an actual pond about her. We see her slap Minawa very hard, but not out of anger for being betrayed by her; more to compel her not to die because of all the sacrifices everyone has made or is making (as Minawa also sustains severe injuries).

The date of this offering is an extrapolation from numerous sources and is as close as I could surmise. Originally, if everything went well, her last day was to be July 20th, certainly a high sense of irony and happenstance in that.

In the manga, the big battle sequence takes place when she has about 120 days to go. A Valentine's Day episode ends with her at 158 days remaining. That means when she does the fight, that is about March 20th or so. Minawa was to have a party on March 22nd, but things got all gummed up. With the amount of time she may have spent in hospital, the earliest she could have come back would be April. Basing events from the presidential assassination which occurred on the 20th (in this case for my purposes, April 20th) and the rapid turn of events, this is my best guess as to her actual last day.

In an examination of Japanese holidays, I find it odd that I happened to have chosen a holiday, Showa Day

This national holiday originally began as the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor. Following the death of the Emperor, the date continued to be a holiday under the new name: Greenery Day. It is also the start of the Golden Week holiday period. In 2007, Greenery Day was moved to May 4, while April 29 took the name Shōwa Day in honor of the late Emperor.

I have also decided to opt towards the amine storyline, rather than the manga, but incorporate certain aspects of the manga into it, as more will have seen the show and not necessarily read it. And those mangas that you are able to find on line take you up to about book four, well below what you need to know.

I personally refer to this offering as "The Missing Scene", as I feel that something had to be put in there and not just head right into the battle, but this writing has a proper title.

"A Sprig of Hope" by Furor Scribendi 2008 Scribendi Production

[Please note that the only aspect being copy written is the story itself. Certain other characters are copy written under the respective company

April 29th. Shōwa Day

Hiding just on the dark side of the moon is a Saint space station. Originally designed to coordinate the attacks on Earth during the 1980s, it was now more of a research vessel, observing the activities of the blue planet below, as well as keeping tabs on Vesper. A kind of uneasy truce was in place, with neither side engaged in more overt operations, but still not fully accepting of the other's presence or motives.

It was here that Tou Ryuga lived, filling out his reports and adding to the wealth of knowledge that was being gathered. But today, he was not doing research.

He stood in front of a door, just staring. I'm not afraid, he thought, just cautious. He raised his hand to knock on the door, hesitated and pulled it back.

I have been on the battlefields of Earth, I have dealt with screaming hordes of middle- school girls, I have handled thugs and perverts and even Slash, and I was never afraid. I was not afraid then and I am not afraid now, he mused.

Staring at the door again, he went to knock, but faltered in his attempt.

I am a warrior android of Saint, the finest ever created and I know no fear. This door does not scare me. There is nothing about this door that is scary. Nothing. Nothing.

He began to knock, but his hand was still a good six inches away from the door, rapping on thin air. Ryuga turned his back on the door and pondered some more. Am I becoming more…human? He thought long and hard on this point. He could be losing his edge as a warrior if a few bits of metal were keeping him from what he wanted.

He turned back and knocked on the door, but no reply came. He knocked a bit harder, but still no sound emanated from the room. Irked, he gave the door a good pounding. There was no way he would be turned away now.

The door slid open.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." A voice floated from the room.

Ryuga stepped in and the door slid closed. Sitting at a desk, with a huge computer screen and numerous keyboard buttons about it, was Professor Katirca. One of the older members of Saint, he was responsible for much of the construction of android operational systems. If anyone could resolve this situation, it was him. The professor did not turn around.

The room was filled with a variety of equipment. Some of it was readily recognizable, other were exotic, both in design and function. Yet, despite all the paraphernalia, the room had a clean, Spartan feel to it. Nothing was out of place or errant. Nothing was misstacked or piled up to one side. Nothing was untidy. Even the professor was crisp in his lab coat, although he sat, unmoving, staring.

"So, how does it look? Can anything be done?" ventured Ryuga.

"It's hopeless." Ryuga sagged as the professor turned about to continue. "I know why you came to me on this, for my vast wealth of knowledge, but this system defies any attempt to rectify change. Oh, sure, given enough time, you can resolve any problem, but this is well within the ranks of impossible. I wish I could give better news for you. I know what this must mean."

"So there is nothing that can be done."

"I have played many scenarios and projections and it all leads to the same conclusion."

"You cannot manifest change or alter the course of things?"

The professor closed his eyes and shook his head 'no'. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, back at the monitor. "Not with this current system."

"We cannot save Mahoro."

The professor's face clouded over. "What? What are you talking about?"

Ryuga looked puzzled. "What do you mean 'what'? You got my message."

The professor turned about and punched a few buttons on the side of the monitor, bringing up Ryuga's letter. He began to read. "'Enclosed are some schematics and other data. Can you do anything to save V?' I took 'V' to stand for 'Vesper'."

Ryuga bolted to the monitor to read his message. "Where's the rest of it? It was supposed to say 'Can you do anything to save V 1045R Mahoro?'!"

The professor stood up and put a finger in Ryuga's face. "You have got to learn to proofread better! I though you wanted me to educate Vesper on how best to utilize the technology that they have, as it is readily apparent that do not understand it at all. THAT is what was impossible. You cannot deal with a closed mind.

"Their current information data system is rife with mistrust and suspicion, making any kind of exchange of help or guidance impossible. Sit down. You need to know something." Ryuga took a seat while the professor spoke.

"Terrans are driven by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of what may come, fear of what may NOT come, fear of not being in control. Fear, fear, fear. They create this invention, this warrior android, which can do much destruction. Since they do not understand their own technology, since it could get out of control, they put in a kill switch, so, should something go wrong, this device would activate and shut down the unit on its own. That is the problem with fear. Fortunately. This is something we do not have to worry about, right?"

Ryuga gave a weak smile. If only he knew……

"Personally, I felt that Vesper fully expected this unit…"

"It's not a unit, it's a person!" Ryuga barked at the professor. Even he was taken aback by his reaction to all this.

The professor smiled. "Do you know why Matthew gave each of you a heart? It would seem foolish, in the larger scale of thing, to give an android a heart, for it gets in the way of things: rational thought, unclouded deliberations, and the ability to make the right decision at the right time in a logical manner. You were given that heart, for Matthew knew the time would come that there would be no more war, and you would have to live among the Terrans.

"You have to know when to fight and when to stop. When to kill and when to care. When to give no quarter and when to show mercy."

"So, Mahoro can be saved?"

"Well, that depends."

"What do you mean?"

The professor spun back around to his desk and brought up the schematics on his monitor. "This is our own technology, being used against up. Rather clever. They find a downed unit and reverse engineer it. But they added a lot of back-up systems to keep things in check.

"They originally designed this uni…uh….Mahoro…to go full out, with no thought for the future; otherwise, they could have easily improved on the power conversion unit. She was expected to be destroyed in battle. The fact that she lasted nine years in battle is a testament to her construction and durability. So, what do you want Mahoro to be?

"I'm not following you."

"Part of your report stated that she was now a maid. But some additional information implies she has about 25 to 30 of her fighting capacity remaining. In order to prolong her lifespan, they removed as much as they could, save for this one feature. It a very odd function, called 'Shining Darkness'. This is a last effort, for it does destroy the enemy, but destroys Mahoro as well."

Ryuga looked lost. "So when I engaged her in combat almost a year ago…"

"…you were fighting her at one-fourth to one-third of what you saw on the battlefield."

Ryuga was silent. "So, can you save her?"

"Again, that depends on a variety of factors. Come over here." The professor beckoned Ryuga to the monitor, and then pushed a series of buttons. "If you want her to remain a maid, her power needs are very simple and she could run to the end of time. If you wanted some of her defensive capabilities back…." The professor pushed buttons as he spoke. "…at 25 percent or 50 percent or 75 percent, that could be easily maneuvered."

He turned and spoke to Ryuga in a very casual manner, moving in quite close. "Personally, I would opt for the Hundred Hundred Hundred package myself." He pushed a few more buttons. "One hundred percent of the power, one hundred percent of the time, forever."

Ryuga moved in to see for himself. "Is this possible?"

"That's you. You are the Hundred Hundred Hundred. The ability to do this is easy, but it depends…."

"Why are there so many provisos with you?" snapped Ryuga.

"I have to see Mahoro for myself and run my own diagnostics on her. I am surprised that you were able to get these schematics from Vesper, plus this other information. Again, the fear and mistrust issue is one that is difficult to overcome. I mean, this would be an absolutely marvelous action to do: to show that Vesper and Saint can live in harmony. What better way to do this than to help their greatest warrior live on forever, to help defend their planet.

"That day is coming when we must make a pact and this could make it happen sooner. How quickly can you get her up here?"

"That may be harder than it seems. Can you make the changes down there? Could you go to her?"

The professor shook his head 'no'. "Not fully for what we want to do. I need to be able to completely monitor the situation and that is not something you even want to try in the field. Besides, with her assault from Dr. Metherius, the sustained electrical attack could have done more damage to her than surmised.

In reading what their technical staff had to say, they are completely unaware of what may even be wrong with her. Plus, this talk of a missing screw is most discouraging. They cannot maintain that which they have." The professor sighed. "Look at this note here from Professor Hokaze: 'We lack the ability to do what is necessary for Mahoro in regards to prolonging her life.' Their own mistrust keeps them from asking us to help."

"I know. I offered our services, but they were rather prickly about the whole idea. Can you at least 'stop the clock' in the field?"

The professor looked about his office, standing up as he appraised the situation. "Then I would need the following items: that non-intrusive power annealer wand…" He pointed to an object that looked like a small iron on a rod. "…a generator, a full body examination scrim and a spot specific examination scrim, a standard field tool kit, a field grade computer uplink and my recorder. An opportunity like this may not manifest itself again for some time, so I want a full record of everything." The professor fell silent for a moment. "I'd better bring along the biometric helmet as well. The scrim can only tell me so much, so I would need a better grasp on things. So that means another generator."

"How long will this take?"

"Well, that depends."

"Should I start calling you Professor Depends? Why so vague?"

"There are too many variables that cannot be completely brought under control with what incomplete information I currently possess, but if we are just 'stopping the clock', as you put it, it would take more time to prepare the equipment than to do the actual operation. About an hour's worth of set-up and break-down for a ten-minute procedure. Then, I assume, we can bring her back up here for that full diagnostic and repair. So, where is she now?"

"Our last reports were that when Vesper Headquarters were under assault, she and Suguru fled the area."

"I assume she still has some kind of locator or GPS. I mean, if she can call on her Sylpheed, there has to be a way to find her."

"May I borrow your computer?" Ryuga moved in and began to type in some information. The screen presented a representation of the globe. "I'll have to hack the mainframe for Vesper to see if I can get the carrier frequency, which would then allow me to track her."

"Not likely, owing to the level of destruction of Vesper HQ in Ebisu. But that level of effort may not be necessary," offered the professor. "They have a communication satellite that would be far easier to get to. It should be no trouble to hone in on the frequency of her brooch. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to gather my materials."

The professor went to a nearby phone. "Dispatch. This is Professor Katirca. I need to requisition a transport ship to earth, leaving as soon as possible. I will also need some assistance in loading up supplies, so please send up help to facilitate this, to my office."

He turned to see Ryuga tapping in the last of the information. "So, we have homed in on her current location. Longitude, 19.86 degrees north; latitude, 90.54 degrees west. It is an area called the Yucatan Peninsula, in the Central American region of Earth. They are about 10 miles north of the port town of Campeche on the northwestern coast. Hmmmmm………."

"Is there a problem?

"Perhaps." Ryuga let out a gasp of satisfaction. "Yes! Now I can say that back to YOU! Anyway, it is evening in the region, but I cannot tell why she is there. Fixing coordinates now, so we can drop right in on her." The monitor gave out a pulse beat to her location, a small yellow dot flashing on and off. Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Ryuga turned to the professor. "This can be done, right?"

"Yes, this can be done. We can stop the 'cease function' aspect of all this and potentially repair any damage that she may have sustained." The professor looked at Ryuga. "This means that much to you." Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Ryuga thrust his hands deeply into his pockets. "When I was first asked to research Mahoro, I felt there was some ulterior motive for her going from a warrior android to a maid in the Misato household. I have slowly come to learn what is meant by true strength. I thought that by power or force, I would find true strength. The utter dominance of all those about me. This is why I was created.

"She taught me that it was dedication to another. She took the job as a maid at the Misato household to protect Suguru and atone for her having to kill her commander. Her willingness to destroy herself in order to protect Suguru is a caliber of strength that I can never fully understand. Although rescuing her from Dr. Metherius paid back part of the debt, this would make things fully even. It is what needs to be done." Beep, beep, beep, beep.

"And it would give you a worthy opponent to battle," murmured the professor.

"What?" Ryuga felt his face redden.

"She might want to see what it is like to be without any limits. You may also get more than you bargained for, with her as a genuine challenge again and…"

Suddenly, the dot stopped flashing and the beeping halted. Both immediately turned to the monitor. "That's odd. Why would it stop?" asked Ryuga as he pushed more buttons.

"It only stops for one reason: the source energy is no more."

"No!" Ryuga gasped as he punched more buttons faster and pulled up a satellite view of the area. The last traces of a massive explosion were fading away.

The professor rushed to the monitor and punched a few more buttons. A power grid projector came up, tracking the amount of energy expended. "This is not good. Not good at all. This represents a self-destruction expenditure of two android units."

"Two? How can it be? The only other android that could do this would be Ferdelance, but he was destroyed when I rescued Mahoro!" He looked at the screen which was now very calm and serene, belying the intensity of the event. "I have to go now. You send to me whatever information you can on my way down!"

"With a power expenditure of this magnitude, it may be too late already, Ryuga!"

"I'll find that out for myself." And with that, Ryuga sprinted for the docking bay.


End file.
